U.S. patent number 10,591,060 [Application Number 16/034,509] was granted by the patent office on 2020-03-17 for low-friction sealing assembly for a wheel-hub unit and wheel-hub unit equipped with such a sealing assembly.
This patent grant is currently assigned to AKTIEBOLAGET SKF. The grantee listed for this patent is Aktiebolaget SKF. Invention is credited to Daniele Duch, Roberto Galante, Michel Organisciak, Paolo A Re, Andrea Serafini, Hector Villalobos.
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United States Patent |
10,591,060 |
Villalobos , et al. |
March 17, 2020 |
Low-friction sealing assembly for a wheel-hub unit and wheel-hub
unit equipped with such a sealing assembly
Abstract
Low-friction sealing assembly for a vehicle wheel-hub unit
inserted inside an annular interspace defined between a flanged
rotating element and a stationary element, coaxial with each other,
of the wheel-hub unit to protect at least one ring of revolving
bodies arranged between the stationary element and the rotating
element, and having a first annular screen and a second annular
screen during use integral with the rotating element and with the
stationary element; and an annular seal having lips that extend
axially and radially projecting from the first screen towards the
second screen inside an annular chamber defined by the first and
second screens; the sealing assembly being a multi-stage sealing
assembly provided with a first inner collecting stage designed to
collect and expel some of the contaminants.
Inventors: |
Villalobos; Hector (Turin,
IT), Duch; Daniele (San Gillio, IT),
Galante; Roberto (Asti, IT), Organisciak; Michel
(Utrecht, NL), Re; Paolo A (Nichelino, IT),
Serafini; Andrea (Pinerolo, IT) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Aktiebolaget SKF |
Gothenburg |
N/A |
SE |
|
|
Assignee: |
AKTIEBOLAGET SKF (Gothenburg,
SE)
|
Family
ID: |
60991097 |
Appl.
No.: |
16/034,509 |
Filed: |
July 13, 2018 |
Prior Publication Data
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|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20190049014 A1 |
Feb 14, 2019 |
|
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Aug 8, 2017 [IT] |
|
|
102017000091173 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60B
27/0073 (20130101); B60B 27/02 (20130101); F16J
15/3232 (20130101); F16C 33/7826 (20130101); F16J
15/3264 (20130101); F16J 15/002 (20130101); F16C
33/805 (20130101); F16J 15/447 (20130101); F16C
33/7889 (20130101); B60B 2360/50 (20130101); B60B
2310/206 (20130101); Y02T 10/86 (20130101); B60B
2900/212 (20130101); B60B 2360/102 (20130101); B60B
2900/5112 (20130101); F16C 19/184 (20130101); B60B
2900/112 (20130101); B60B 2900/1212 (20130101); F16C
2326/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F16C
19/18 (20060101); B60B 27/02 (20060101); F16J
15/3232 (20160101); F16J 15/32 (20160101); F16J
15/447 (20060101); F16J 15/00 (20060101); F16J
15/3264 (20160101); F16C 33/78 (20060101); F16C
33/80 (20060101); B60B 27/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;384/147,151,477-478,480,482,484,544,589
;277/351,349,399,412,572,590 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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|
102004049550 |
|
Apr 2006 |
|
DE |
|
464379 |
|
Jan 1992 |
|
EP |
|
1505307 |
|
Feb 2005 |
|
EP |
|
3001781 |
|
Aug 2014 |
|
FR |
|
2005291485 |
|
Oct 2005 |
|
JP |
|
2009250405 |
|
Oct 2009 |
|
JP |
|
4479362 |
|
Jun 2010 |
|
JP |
|
2014001803 |
|
Jan 2014 |
|
JP |
|
2018044611 |
|
Mar 2018 |
|
JP |
|
Primary Examiner: Charles; Marcus
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Garcia-Zamor Intellectual Property
Law, LLC Garcia-Zamor; Ruy Peckjian; Bryan
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A low-friction sealing assembly for a vehicle wheel-hub unit
that is configured to be inserted inside an annular interspace
defined between a flanged rotating element and a stationary element
of the wheel-hub unit to protect at least one ring of revolving
members arranged between the stationary element and the rotating
element, the low-friction sealing assembly comprises: a first
annular screen integral with the rotating element; a second annular
screen integral with the stationary element; and an annular seal
comprising lips that extend axially and radially projecting from
the second screen towards the first screen inside an annular
chamber defined by the first and second screens; the sealing
assembly providing a multi-stage sealing assembly and comprises: a
first inner collecting stage designed to collect and expel some of
the contaminants and is defined by an annular cavity of the first
screen; a labyrinth stage that is arranged radially on the outside
of the first inner collecting stage along an entry/exit path of the
contaminants and is also defined by an annular deviating lug of the
first screen; and an outer collecting stage that is positioned
axially on the outside of the stationary element and is positioned
radially outside the labyrinth stage along the entry/exit path of
the contaminants, the annular lip seal having an annular deflector
screen integrated in the seal and extends radially and axially on
the outside of the stationary element and defines part of the outer
collecting stage.
2. The low-friction sealing assembly according to claim 1, wherein
the labyrinth stage comprises an inner labyrinth defined by the
deviating lug and by the second screen so as to prevent the entry
of the contaminants into the annular chamber and deviate the flow
thereof towards the first inner collecting stage, and an outer
labyrinth arranged at one end of the deflector screen for
preventing the entry of the contaminants inside the annular
interspace.
3. The low-friction sealing assembly according to claim 2, wherein
the outer collecting stage comprises a first annular groove formed
in the deflector screen and a second annular groove formed in the
radially outer cylindrical surface of the stationary element; the
first and second annular grooves deviating radially outwards the
contaminants and reducing the flow thereof towards the outer
labyrinth.
4. The low-friction sealing assembly according to claim 3, further
comprising a second inner collecting stage, which is designed to
collect and expel a residual part of the contaminants and is
defined by the annular lip seal arranged inside the annular
chamber.
5. The low-friction sealing assembly according to claim 4, wherein
the first screen is provided with a first sleeve portion integral
with the rotating element, and a flange-shaped portion, which
extends radially projecting from the first sleeve portion and
incorporates the cavity and the deviating lug; the first screen
further provided with a second sleeve portion radially facing the
first sleeve portion and bounding the cavity radially on the
outside.
6. The low-friction sealing assembly according to claim 5, wherein
the second annular screen is provided with a third sleeve portion
integral with the stationary element, and a flanged portion mounted
projecting from the third sleeve portion, radially on the opposite
side to the first flanged portion and arranged facing the first
flanged portion at least along the deviating lug towards the second
sleeve portion.
7. The low-friction sealing assembly according to claim 6, wherein
the annular lip seal comprises a first, elastically deformable,
annular lip, which extends axially projecting from the flanged
portion of the second screen towards the first screen so as to be
radially arranged between the deviating lug and the second sleeve
portion of the first screen; and a second, elastically deformable,
annular lip, which is arranged radially on the inside of the first
annular lip and extends axially and radially so as to cooperate in
contact with the second sleeve portion of the first screen, with
which it defines a sliding-contact seal.
8. A wheel-hub unit comprising: an outer stationary ring, an inner
rotating ring and having a flanged end opposite to the outer ring,
and at least one ring of revolving members arranged between the
outer ring and the inner ring, and a low-friction sealing assembly
according to claim 1, mounted radially arranged between the outer
ring and the inner ring to protect an annular interspace defined
between the outer ring and the inner ring from the possible entry
of contaminants.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE
This application claims priority to Italian patent application no.
102017000091173 filed on Aug. 8, 2017, the contents of which are
fully incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a low-friction sealing assembly,
in particular for equipping rolling bearings of wheel-hub units for
vehicles.
The function of the wheel-hub unit is to mount rotatably a vehicle
wheel on a suspension of the vehicle and comprises: a radially
outer bearing ring which is stationary; a radially inner bearing
ring, which is rotatable about a rotation axis of the wheel-hub
unit, has a flange extending in a radially outer direction for
mounting a wheel, and defines an interspace together with the outer
ring. The low-friction sealing assembly is arranged between the
outer ring and the inner ring in order to prevent the entry into
the bearing of any impurities through the interspace.
BACKGROUND
Sealing assemblies for wheel-hub units for applications involving
vehicle wheels are already known from the prior art and some
examples are described in the documents U.S. Pat. No. 8,303,190 and
US2012/0177315 In most cases, the sealing assemblies of the known
type comprise a first and second annular screen mounted on the
outer ring and inner ring, respectively, opposite each other so as
to define between them an annular chamber inside which a series of
sealing lips are arranged, the sealing lips being mounted on a
fixed annular seal integral with one of the screens, generally the
screen intended to remain stationary during use. Access to this
chamber by the external contaminants (water, mud, dust) is limited
by a particular form of one or both the screens which also
cooperate, in a very close arrangement, with radially outer
portions of the outer or inner ring of the bearing and/or of
wheel-hub elements integral therewith, forming labyrinth seals.
Usually, the increase in the sealing performance of the sealing
assemblies described above is obtained by means of an increase in
the geometrical complexity of the screens and/or an increase in the
number of sealing lips, but the constantly increasing demand for a
reduction in fuel consumption and exhaust gas emissions, as well as
the cost targets which must be met by the motor vehicle industry,
have resulted in this complexity and increase being unprofitable in
market terms.
SUMMARY
The object of the present invention is to provide a sealing
assembly for wheel-hub units which, on the one hand, ensures a high
level of protection and, at the same time, results in a reduction
in the frictional torque produced by the sealing assembly when the
rings of the unit are rotating relative to each other. It is also
desirable to simplify the machining operations and consequently
reduce the costs of the process for manufacturing the entire
unit.
According to the present invention a sealing assembly for wheel-hub
units having the characteristic features described in the
accompanying claims is provided.
Further, preferred and/or particularly advantageous, embodiments of
the invention are described in accordance with the characteristic
features indicated in the attached dependent claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described with reference to the attached
FIGURE which shows a schematic and axially sectioned view of a
preferred embodiment thereof provided by way of a non-limiting
example of embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
With reference to the attached figure, 1 denotes a low-friction
sealing assembly, in particular designed to be mounted on a
wheel-hub unit 2 of a vehicle, the sealing assembly 1 during use
forming an integral part of the unit.
The wheel-hub unit 2, which is moreover of the known type,
comprises an outer ring 3, which during use is stationary, an inner
ring 4, which during use rotates about an axis A which is also the
axis of symmetry of both the rings 3 and 4, and at least one ring
of revolving members 6 arranged between the outer ring 3 and the
inner ring 4, which are coaxial with each other; the ring 4 has a
flanged end 5 opposite to the outer ring 3 and intended to carry a
vehicle wheel.
The sealing assembly 1 can be inserted inside an annular interspace
7 defined between the rotating inner ring 4 and the stationary
outer ring 3 and, more generally, between the rotating element 4
and the stationary element 3, coaxial with each other, of a general
rolling bearing of any known type form part of, or integrated with,
the wheel-hub unit 2.
The sealing assembly 1 is arranged between the rings 3 and 4,
inserted inside the annular interspace 7, so as to protect the
revolving members 6 arranged between the stationary element 3 and
the rotating element 4, and is a multi-stage sealing assembly,
namely, as will be described in detail below, is a sealing assembly
in which the sealing action for preventing the entry of
contaminants, i.e. typically dirty water, mud and dust, inside the
wheel-hub unit 2 is obtained by several sealing stages cooperating
with each other in a synergic manner and in such a way also as to
reduce the friction typically associated with the sealing
assemblies of the known type to levels which are decidedly lower in
relation thereto.
The sealing assembly 1 comprises: a first annular screen 10 formed
by means of shearing and pressing of stainless-steel metal sheet, a
second annular screen 11 also formed by means of shearing and
pressing of a stainless-steel metal sheet, arranged facing the
screen 10, and an annular lip seal 9 made of one or more
elastomeric materials, mounted integrally on the screen 11 and
provided with a plurality of sealing lips 12, 13, 14 which
cooperate, as will be seen, with the screen 10 so as to seal off in
a fluid-tight manner the annular interspace 7 with respect to the
rolling bodies 6.
The screen 10 is provided with a first sleeve-like or, more
generally cylindrical, portion 15a which during use is integral
with a keying surface 4a of the rotating element 4 and a
flange-shaped portion 16 which extends radially projecting from the
sleeve portion 15a on the opposite side to the axis A, and
therefore radially outwards, from an end 17a of the sleeve portion
15a directed on the opposite side to the flanged end 5. The
flange-shaped portion 16 does not extend, however, in a linear
manner from the sleeve portion 15a on the opposite side to the axis
A, but has a winding progression defining, immediately from the end
17a, an annular cavity 80 with its concavity facing the flanged end
5 and terminating in an annular deviating lug 81 which is shaped in
the manner of a frustoconical funnel having its conicity directed
towards the second screen 11. In particular, the screen 10 is
provided with a second sleeve-like, or more generally cylindrical,
portion 15b which forms part of the flange-shaped portion 16,
radially faces the first sleeve portion 15a and radially bounds the
cavity 80 towards the outside. Moreover, more precisely, the
flange-shaped portion 16 comprises two annular portions 16a and 16b
which are transverse to the axis A and connect together,
respectively, the first sleeve portion 15a and the second sleeve
portion 15b, and one end 17b of the second sleeve portion 15b
facing the flanged end 5 and the deviating lug 81.
Basically, the screen 10 is formed by:
the first sleeve portion 15a which during use is integral with the
keying surface 4a of the rotating element 4;
the annular portion 16a, which extends from the end 17a,
the second sleeve portion 15b which is radially spaced from and
parallel to the first sleeve portion 15a and defines the cavity 80
together with the annular portion 16a and the first sleeve portion
15a;
the annular portion 16b, which extends from the end 17b of the
second sleeve portion 15b; and finally
the deviating lug 81.
The sleeve portion 15a preferably, but not necessarily, could also
have a conical form so as to ensure a different keying capacity of
the screen 10 on the keying surface 4a of the rotating element 4.
The conicity of the sleeve portion 15a preferably converges towards
the axis A and "widens" or is tapered on the side where the flange
5 is located.
The screen 11 is provided with a third sleeve-like, or more
generally cylindrical, portion 18 which during use is integral with
the stationary element 3 and a second flanged portion 19 mounted
projecting on the sleeve portion 18 radially on the opposite side
to the flanged portion 16 and situated facing it; the flanged
portion 19 therefore extends radially inwards, towards the axis A
and towards the second sleeve portion 15a, from an axial end 20 of
the sleeve portion 18 directed, in the non-limiting example of
embodiment shown, towards the screen 10 and the flanged end 5.
Moreover, together with the second sleeve portion 15b, the annular
portion 16b and the deviating lug 81 of the screen 10, the second
flanged portion 19 defines an annular chamber 83 which is arranged
inside the annular interspace 7 and inside which the sealing lips
12, 13, 14 are arranged.
The lip 12 of the annular seal 9 is elastically deformable and
extends axially projecting from the second flanged portion 19 of
the second screen 11 towards the first screen 10 so as to be
radially arranged between the deviating lug 81 and the second
sleeve portion 15b of the first screen 10, while the lip 13, which
is also elastically deformable, is arranged radially on the inside
of the lip 12 and extends axially and radially from a radially
inner edge 45 of the second flanged portion 19 so as to cooperate
in contact with the second sleeve portion 15b of the first screen
10, with which it defines a sliding-contact seal. The annular lip
12 is formed so as to bound radially on the outside an annular
channel 22 facing a free end edge 23 of the deviating lug 81; the
free edge 23 is situated opposite the annular portion 16b of the
first screen 10. Finally, the annular lip 14 extends radially
projecting towards the inside on the opposite side to the lip 13,
again extending from the radially inner edge 45 so as to cooperate
in contact with the second sleeve portion 15b of the first screen
10, with which it defines a further sliding-contact seal.
Finally, the annular lip seal 9 comprises an annular deflector
screen 70 which is integrated in the annular seal 9 itself, extends
radially and axially outwards with respect to the radially outer
ring 3 and extends obliquely with respect to the axis A from the
axial end 20 of the sleeve portion 18 towards the flanged end 5.
The deflector screen 70, since it is made of elastically deformable
material, forms a barrier which blocks the energy of the particles
of contaminant, typically dirty water, falling by means of gravity
from the upright of the suspension (of the known type and therefore
not shown) towards the outer ring 3 and therefore into the annular
interspace 7, and comprises a tapered end 71 directed towards the
flanged end 5, and two toroidal curved surfaces 72 and 73, which
are arranged axially alongside each other and bound the deflector
screen 70 radially on the outside. The toroidal curved surface 73
terminates substantially in the region of an annular groove 39
which is provided on the stationary element 3 and is formed in a
side surface 38, generally with a cylindrical form, of the
stationary element or outer ring 3, in a position adjacent to the
toroidal curved surface 73. The annular groove 39 has a concavity
directed on the side where the possible external contaminants
arrive during use.
As mentioned above, the low-friction sealing assembly 1 is a
multi-stage sealing assembly, the sealing action of which for
preventing the entry of contaminants inside the wheel-hub unit 2 is
provided by several sealing stages cooperating with each other in a
synergic manner and in such a way also as to reduce also to a
minimum the contact friction of the sliding-contact seals defined
by the lips 13 and 14. In particular, the sealing assembly 1
comprises:
a first inner collecting stage S1 which is designed to collect and,
also, expel some of the contaminants and is defined by the annular
cavity 80, i.e. by the annular cavity 80 on an axially inner side
of the wheel-hub unit 2 and also by the flanged end 5 on an axially
outer side of the wheel-hub unit 2;
a labyrinth stage S2, which is designed to prevent the entry of the
contaminants inside the annular interspace 7 and the annular
chamber 83 and is arranged radially on the outside of the first
inner collecting stage S1 along an entry/exit path P of the
contaminants; and
an outer collecting stage S3, which is axially on the outside of
the radially outer ring 3, is radially on the outside of the
labyrinth stage S2 along the entry/exit path P of the contaminants
and is defined by the annular deflector screen 70, namely by the
grooves 72 and 73, and by the annular groove 39; and
a second inner collecting stage S4, which is designed to collect
and also expel a residual part of the contaminants and is defined
by the annular lip seal 9 inside the annular chamber 83.
Each of the aforementioned stages S1-S4 helps prevent the entry of
contaminants into the wheel-hub unit 2 and the overall effect of
the four stages S1-S4 has proved to be surprisingly superior to the
effect of each stage considered singly.
The outer collecting stage S3 is essentially formed by the groove
72 of the deflector screen 70 and by the groove 39 of the outer
ring 3: the two grooves 72 and 39 have the function of collecting
the particles of contaminant, which fall by means of gravity for
example from the upright of the suspension, and conveying these
particles of contaminant around the axis A so as to allow them to
fall, again by means of gravity, underneath the wheel-hub unit 2.
Moreover, since the groove 72 is formed along the elastically
deformable, projecting free part of the deflector screen 70 of the
screen 11, the action of the particles of contaminant causes
deflection of this projecting free part towards the axis A, namely
causes the tapered end 71 to move towards the flanged end 5 with a
consequent reduction in the amplitude of an outer labyrinth L1
defined precisely by the tapered end 71 and the flanged end 7.
The outer labyrinth L1 is arranged at the end 71 of the deflector
screen 70 so as to prevent the entry of the contaminants inside the
annular interspace 7 and also forms part of the labyrinth stage S2
which also comprises an inner labyrinth L2 defined by the end 23 of
the deviator lug 81 and by the second screen 11 in order to prevent
the entry of the contaminants into the annular chamber 83 and
deviate the flow thereof towards the first inner collecting stage
S1.
In other words, the contaminants which may have entered inside the
annular interspace 7 via the outer labyrinth L1, despite the
sealing and expelling action of the outer collecting stage S3, are
deviated by the deviating lug 81 far from the inner labyrinth L2
towards the first inner collecting stage S1 which, of the four
stages S1-S4 mentioned, is that which has provided the most
unexpected results in the terms of sealing and the capacity to
dispose of the contaminants.
In fact, owing to the innovative form of the first screen 10, the
cavity 80 of the first inner collecting stage S1 has a notable
capacity and acts as a collection reservoir, managing to collect
inside its part above the axis A, with respect to the force of
gravity, a large part of the particles of contaminant deviated
along the path P by the deviating lug 81 far from the inner
labyrinth L2, and acts likewise as a discharge reservoir, managing
to dispose of, in its part below the axis A, with respect to the
force of gravity, the particles of contaminant which may have
accumulated inside it. The cavity 80 has a capacity such as to be
able to accumulate a considerable amount of the particles of
contaminant inside it before they manage to fill its volume and
reach again the inner labyrinth L2 which, in any case, prevents the
particles of contaminant which may be have flowed back from the
cavity 80 penetrating inside the annular chamber 83.
The combined and synergic action of the outer collecting stage S3,
the labyrinth stage S2 and the first inner collecting stage S1
manages to deviate most of the flow of the particles of contaminant
which, thus deviated, fall laterally with respect to the cavity 80,
the deviating lug 81 and the deflecting screen 70, without
practically coming into contact with the sealing lips 13, 14 and
15.
In the unlikely event of a few particles of contaminant managing to
pass beyond also the inner labyrinth L2 and reach the annular
chamber 83, the second inner collecting stage S4 comes into play
and, owing to the form of the annular lip 12, collects inside the
annular chamber 22 these particles of contaminant and favors
expulsion thereof, causing them to fall laterally and into the zone
underlying the axis A, namely bringing them outside the annular
chamber 83 precisely through the inner labyrinth L2.
It is understood that the invention is not limited to the
embodiments described and illustrated here which are to be regarded
as examples of embodiment of the low-friction sealing assembly,
these being instead subject to further modifications as regards the
form and arrangement of parts as well as the constructional and
assembly details.
* * * * *